


A Little White Lie

by Rakuyou_Tenshi (Citrus_Luver)



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Female James T. Kirk, Genderswap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:48:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29220504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Citrus_Luver/pseuds/Rakuyou_Tenshi
Summary: For years now, his ma has been relentless on the fact that he needs to find someone.  Maybe because he had a little too much to drink or because he’s just tired of her nagging, he tells his ma offhand that he is seeing someone.  It’s been months since that conversation, a conversation Leonard completely forgot about after everything that happened soon afterwards.Now, with the crew grounded at Yorktown till the new Enterprise finishes being constructed, he receives a com from his ma inviting him and his girlfriend to spend some time together on Earth before they have to ship out again.Except there’s one problem.  There is no girlfriend.Or…The one where Jim pretends to be Bones’ girlfriend because neither wants to break Bones’ ma’s heart.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I love the fake/pretend relationship trope with Jim and Bones...
> 
> Please enjoy!!

_Len, when you comin’ home to visit your poor mama?_

_Don’t forget to bring your girlfriend._

_Girlfriend._

_Damn…_

With everything that had happened after that one loose slip of the tongue, he had completely forgotten about that little white lie he told his ma.

Loose lips sink ships, and right now Leonard McCoy is a sunk ship.

While he could easily tell his ma, he and his girlfriend had broken up since then. He had already promised to spend the summer in Georgia, and how relentless his ma has been with him half way across the galaxy, he can’t imagine what spending an entire summer in Georgia would be like.

Which is why Leonard McCoy is currently walking to his best friend’s apartment with a bottle of wine and his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs.

“Bones!” Jim is all smiles as she opens the door. 

Since being grounded on Yorktown, he and Jim have reinstated their Friday dinner and movie nights from back during their time at the Academy. Now that they aren’t confided to a starship and with their busy schedules: Leonard has been assigned a temporary post at medical while Jim has been helping Scotty with the upgrades to the new Enterprise; this is one of the few times they see each other every week.

Leonard steps inside, toeing off his boots. He smells a heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen that definitely doesn’t come from the take out they normally order.

“What’s that smell?” He asks.

“I got chicken on the stove.” Jim answers.

“You cooked?” He raises an eyebrow suspiciously. He has never seen Jim cook in the nearly eight years they have known each other.

“Ny’s been teaching me.”

“From New Vulcan?”

Jim shrugs. “I think it’s her way of coping with the lack of meat in her diet.”

Leonard shakes his head. _That’s_ one relationship that has never made any sense to him.

_Spock and Ny…_

He’s glad that they have made up. However he had never expected them to use their sabbatical to go to New Vulcan.

“How’s Ny doing?”

“Good, I think, under the circumstances. Oh, she thanks you for the tea. It has definitely helped with the nausea.”

Leonard nods. He reminds himself to comm Ny or be present whenever Jim has her next call. “‘Course it works, McCoy family secret.” He follows Jim to the kitchen to find she has set out a bowl of salad on the table. “Did hell freeze over while I walked over here?”

Jim laughs. “No, that’s in solidarity for Ny, and so Christine won’t tattle on me when I go in for my physical tomorrow.”

“One day of good eating habits ain’t going to help.” 

“Not listening, lala,” Jim says. She stirs the pot one last time before dishing it out. 

Jim is a surprisingly good cook. The chicken is just the right amount of tender. 

They have migrated to the living room with their glasses of wine, with Jim surfing through her expansive movie collection when Leonard remembers that he still has a huge favor he needs from Jim.

It immediately dampens his good mood. 

Jim looks at him. “Was it that bad?”

“What?”

“The chicken?”

“What? No! The chicken was delicious.”

“Then why do you look like you got a bad case of indigestion?”

“What? No, I don’t.” He snaps, then immediately regrets it. “I…”

Jim looks at him. She looks worried, and he hates when causes her to worry, because as captain of a starship she’s practically got the entire universe on her shoulders.

Leonard sighs. The wine doesn’t taste so good anymore. “I had a com with my ma.”

“Is she okay?” 

“What? Yeah.” Leonard waves his hand. 

“And Jo.”

“She’s fine. Everyone’s fine.”

Jim lets out a sigh of relief. “Then what could possibly be wrong?” She asks, her eyes so blue.

Leonard sighs. “Don’t laugh.”

“What?”

“Don’t laugh.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t laugh, but what?”

“So, you know how mothers are?” He immediately regrets saying _that_ because Jim doesn’t really know. While her relationship with Winona is no long as strained as it had been while Jim was growing up, they are still mainly on an one call a year relationship. It’s mostly due to Leonard that they even have _that_. “She’s been hounding me to get a girlfriend for years.” He hurriedly continues.

“Oh.” Jim pauses. There is an indescribable look on her face that disappears so fast Leonard isn’t sure if it was really there. “Is this your way of telling me you found a girl on Yorktown or something, Bones?”

“What?! No.” He shakes his head, furiously. 

“Then what?”

“Well, I might have accidentally told her I was in a relationship. Now, she wants me to spend the rest of the summer back in Georgia, and…” He’s turning bright red now. At that moment, he chickens out and buries his face in his hands. 

“And she wants you to bring said girlfriend home with you.” Jim finishes.

“Yeah.” His face is still buried in his hands.

“And you don’t got the heart to tell her you don’t actually have a girlfriend.”

“Yeah.” He peeks out between between his fingers.

Jim cracks a smile. 

“You said you wouldn’t laugh.”

“I’m not. Though you should be nicer to me, Bonesy.” Her grin is even wider. She slaps him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry Bones I’ll be the best fake girlfriend yet.”

Leonard looks up. “You’ll do it?”

“Of course. I love your ma. We can’t go breaking her heart, and I’m dying to see Jo again. So when do we leave?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More tags will be added as the story progresses.


	2. Chapter 2

They leave a week later.

Scotty is both annoyed and excited about Jim leaving him alone to work on the upgrades.

_Don’t do anything too crazy to my ship._

_Aye captain._

There is that excited glow in his eyes that makes Jim nervous. She asks Chekov to keep an eye on things for her. The young Russian ensign agrees enthusiastically. 

Maybe too enthusiastically. 

However she has already promised Bones she would come and has already gotten the time off.

Meanwhile, Leonard has set up their transport back to Earth and has let his ma know their schedule. He leaves out the part about Jim being his girlfriend.

As the days get closer, a sudden onset of guilt overtakes Leonard. He tells himself he’ll tell her the truth, that Jim isn’t his girlfriend.

_She’ll understand._

Besides Leonard has a suspicion that his ma might like Jim even more than she likes her own son. She wouldn’t mind Jim imposing for the summer.

Jim is all smiles the morning they leave. She’s in civilian wear, a white tank top and blue jean shorts. She’s pulling a roller bag.

“Morning Bones,” she chirps. She has always been a morning person. She presses a thermos containing coffee and from the twinkle in Jim’s eyes, it’s probably mixed with alcohol.

Leonard, who is definitely not a morning person and feels like he has just rolled out of bed, takes it graciously. “God, I love you.” He mutters as it hits the spot.

“That’s the spirit, Bonesy.” 

She winks at the person checking them in.

It takes nearly two weeks to arrive back on Earth and an extra day to make it to Georgia. 

Leonard sees his ma across the way. “Ma!” Leonard calls. 

She turns, a smile on her face. Eleanora McCoy, despite being almost an entire head shorter than her eldest son, is an imposing woman. Wrinkle lines have cut into her once flawless skin. She’s sprouting a healthy tan. Her pepper grey hair is pulled back into a low bun. Her back is a little more curved.

“Len!” She pulls her son into a tight hug. It’s only as she releases him does she spy Jim standing behind him. “Jim. Oh my gosh! I just _knew_ it had to be you when Len told me. Come give me a hug.”

Jim is all smiles as she accepts Eleanora’s tight hug. “You look a lot better than than the last time I saw you. What has it been? Nearly three years?”

Jim nods. 

_Three years._

Leonard had brought Jim back to Georgia after the Khan fiasco, so she could recover from dying and shield her from the aftermath of all the destruction and death.

While Leonard had been able to heal her physically, it has been a joint effort from his ma, Jo and Leonard that eventually brought Jim out of her guilt. 

Eleanora links arms with Jim before looking back at Leonard. “Get the bags, Len. The car’s out front.” She pats Jim’s arm. “Tell me about your adventures.” 

_She definitely likes Jim better._

Leonard shakes his head as he follows the two women.

It feels like he has never left, as his ma pulls into the McCoy farmhouse. While the white paint is little more faded, the trees a little bigger, all his fond memories of growing up here come rushing back.

The farmhouse is just as warm and inviting. His ma’s decorations that change with the seasons and the holidays are on full display. 

“Jo, come give your daddy a big hug.” Eleanora hollers. “And his girlfriend.” She winks at him.

Before Leonard can say, because he has too, he hears footsteps from over head. A pair of dazzling green eyes and a wide smile, the hurricane that is Joanna McCoy comes running down the steps. 

“Daddy!” She screams. 

Leonard catches her and swings her around before settling her on his hip. He pretends to groan. “You’ve gotten so big.”

“I’m almost ten.” She holds up ten fingers.

“That you are.” He kisses. 

“You’re scratchy, daddy.” She shrieks. She pushes him away. It’s then that see notices Jim.

“Jim!” She scrambles out of his arms and runs to Jim.

“Hi Jojo.” Jim grins giving the little girl a big hug. “Your dad is right. You have gotten bigger and more beautiful.”

She beams before looking among the three adults, a confused look on her face. She settles on her grandma. “You said Daddy brought his girlfriend, but it’s just Jim.”

Before Leonard can say anything, his ma chimes in. “Jim is your daddy’s girlfriend, Jo.”

Her eyes widens. She looks at Jim and her dad before breaking into the biggest grin. “This is the best news ever!” She runs to her daddy. “Does that mean you and Jim are going to get married now? I know! You can get married while you’re here.”

Leonard chokes.

Jim blinks.

Eleanora just smiles.

_Fuck._

“Erm, not right now, sweetie.” 

“I can wait.” She turns back to Jim. “Come on, Jim. I got to show you Saturn.”

“Whoa.” Eleanora stops her granddaughter. “There is time yet. It’s already late. Let’s let your daddy and Jim get settled first.”

“Oops.” Jo smiles. “Will you share a room with me again, Jim?”

Before Jim can answer, Eleanora kindly responds with “I think your daddy wants to share with Jim.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” Jo nods sagely, too wise for her age. 


End file.
